Insight and tips on the mechanics of writing a thesis.
WRITE RIGHT: Writing for scholarly journals requires a
different approach.
"If there is one trait that best defines a scientist,
it is the ability to concentrate on one subject
to the complete exclusion of
everything else in the environment."
If at any time you feel that any part of your thesis should appear
in a journal for the learned, you cannot just send a copy to its editor
and expect it to be published. You will have to prune down the extra fat
and edit it so that it is in tune with the style of the journal in the
matter of presentation, length, and depth of treatment.
Most often you will have to re-write the piece and take off the
footnotes and other obstructions to easy reading. Even the prose style
may have to be different from the erudite one you have adopted in your
thesis. You must bear in mind that a general editing of your thesis is
not adequate to meet the demand of any journal. You have to edit it to
suit the journal you have in mind. A wise approach would be to send an
abstract to the editor and get the confirmation of his interest in the
topic and his approval for your submission. Perhaps that is the stage at
which you can start your specific editing.
Many scholars may assume too much of prior knowledge among the readers
and make the text hard for them to understand. Perhaps you worked in an
area for a few years and so certain concepts may seem to be too
elementary or axiomatic to be explained. Even experts in the subject
would welcome a clear exposition of ideas that are not well known in the
discipline. Accuracy should never be sacrificed for the sake of
brevity.
Fog factor
Frequent use of multi-syllabic words and long sentences may make reading
tedious. How easily your matter would be read may be found out through
checking what is known as the fog factor, which is the number arrived at
by dividing the number of words with three or more syllables you have
written by the number of sentences. You may check this on two or three
pages selected at random. If the factor is roughly two or three, the
matter is easily readable; but if it is four or more the reading may be
heavy. You may have to make a revision with the drawback in mind. It is
true that while writing scholarly reports on highly sophisticated areas
of knowledge often involving scientific and technical terms, fog cannot
be eliminated totally. However, you should keep the significance of easy
reading during the course of your refining the draft. "A sentence may
be elegant, but if the reader has to work too hard to make sense of it,
then it won't be read."
Facility for checking readability statistics available in word
processors can be made use of for confirming that your text would not
displease the readers. Having said this, we should also remember that
too many short sentences coming one after another might give a feeling
of abruptness that does not promote the enjoyable flow of ideas.
An error often made is wasting valuable time for the physical
embellishment of the document beyond a point, without paying careful
attention to the correctness and accuracy of the content. Even a couple
of typos can give the impression that you have failed to pay adequate
attention to detail. Errors in the spelling of technical or general
words would show in a poor light an otherwise worthy thesis that tells a
vital story.
In the matter of content, your originality under normal circumstances
may be confined to a new interpretation or application of known facts,
bringing new evidence to support a known fact, empirical work in the
area of your choice, using a known technique in an untested area, or
furthering knowledge by continuing work suggested by another scholar at
the end of his research. It is a good idea to engage yourself in
brainstorming sessions or discussions with scholars in the line to
explore new dimensions in your inquiry. Looking at problems from the
standpoint of other disciplines may also help you.
There are certain comments by seasoned experts in the field who suggest
that if there is too much of originality shaking the foundation of your
subject, examiners may hesitate to accept it. But that should not dampen
your spirit if the exceptional genius in you brings forward something
too rare to be taken easily. Great putdowns may be followed by
acceptance, if your theory is worthy and carries the blessings of your
supervisor.
There are certain web sites like http://theses.mit.edu, where you
can read samples of excellent theses that would give practical ideas on
the preparation of your work. No amount of description can substitute a
close examination of quality theses that have won approbation. Under
references, the papers of your potential examiners may be listed, since
they are your predecessors in the area and are likely to look for the
acknowledgement of their contributions.
It may be remembered that research or preparation of a thesis does not
follow a universal straitjacket pattern. Each researcher enjoys a
certain extent of freedom in choosing the best strategy, approach, and
presentation. However, the significant elements of the thesis have to be
provided and standard patterns in the matter of references and
bibliography followed.
During the course of your work, there may be moments when you get stuck,
finding yourself at the end of a blind alley. You are never at the dead
end of any road. These are the times when you should think of
converting setbacks into opportunities. An innovative mind will
certainly identify a course of action that had not been contemplated
earlier.
You have to summon all the energy in your command and change gears to go
uphill to meet success. ``Seek and ye shall find'' is a pearl of
wisdom.
B.S. WARRIER
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